The Department of Environ-ment and Natural Resources (DENR) has formally invited civil-society organizations (CSOs) including, antimining groups, to take part in the ongoing audit of mining operations in the Philippines.
The BusinessMirror learned that during the first audit, CSOs were not among the audit teams, prompting the DENR to conduct a second wave of audit, this time, ensuring that CSOs would be part of the process.
A memorandum signed by DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Joselin Marcus E. Fragada, dated by August 8 to the DENR Mine Audit Team, ordered the participation of the CSOs in the audit process as promised by Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez.
The BusinessMirror learned that the Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), a vocal critic opposing the government’s mining-liberalization policy, which started during the Arroyo administration, had already accepted the invitation to take part in the process. Sought for reaction, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) Vice President for Legal and Policy Affairs Ronald Recidoro declined to comment.
COMP officials, he said, still need to get “a clear picture” of what will be the role of the ATM and other CSOs, as well as the extent of their participation in the audit process.
“COMP will ask members to comment on this first to come up with an official statement,” he said.
In the memorandum addressed to All DENR audit team leaders, Fragada said the decision to involve CSOs is to ensure full transparency in the ongoing audit.
DENR Senior Undersecretary and Mining Audit Team Head Leo L. Jasareno said there are 15 different audit teams that are now simultaneously visiting large-scale mines in various parts of the country.
Officials from the DENR Central Office are leading the audit teams. The members are officials from the regional offices of the DENR, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, together with representatives from the Social Action Centers and CSOs as members.
“CSOs have always been part of the audit team. But during the initial audit, some were missed out, that is why a second wave would be conducted for the CSOs,” Jasareno said. So far, 18 of the 40 large-scale operating mines have undergone audit.
“In line with public policy on full transparency, all the DENR mine-audit teams shall ensure that the various civic-society groups are able to participate in the conduct of the audit. In connection, every team shall coordinate and consult with the various civic-society groups concerned accordingly prior to and after the conduct of every audit undertaken,” Fragada said.
Lopez, an environmental advocate, had included in the audit criteria the social, environmental and, lately, biodiversity aspects of mining operations.
Lopez wants to make it a policy that CSOs and affected communities take part in the DENR’s mining-regulatory processes.
Since assuming the top DENR post, Lopez had already caused the suspension of at least seven mining operations—six nickel-mining companies: two in Zambales, two in Palawan, one on Manicani Island and one in Surigao del Norte; and one iron-mining firm in Bulacan.
The audit of large-scale mining companies in the Caraga region is ongoing and the teams would submit recommendations to the DENR chief within the week.
Antimining groups under the ATM have accepted the call for civil-society organizations (Csos) participation halfway through the audit of mining operations.
ATM, for its part, welcomed the invitation from the DENR chief for broader participation of CSOs in the conduct of the mining audit.
Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of ATM, told the BusinessMirror in an interview that the group decided to engage in the mining audit “to ensure that the accurate and complete picture of mining operations are witnessed and documented by the audit teams.”
Garganera said ATM’s network of CSOs would be taking part in the audit. He said, so far, ATM member-organizations have been advised to engage in the ongoing audit in the Caraga region. “We started to engage in the audit upon the invitation of the DENR,” Garganera told the BusinessMirror.
“We assert that ATM can make a meaningful contribution to the mining audit by giving the audit team the other side of the story and not only the stories of the mining companies,” Garganera said.
ATM opposes large-scale mining operations because of the massive destruction of the environment.
The group said the cost far outweighs the benefits of large-scale mining. Garganera said massive destruction of forest, pollution of water bodies, militarization and human-rights violation are among the complaints against mining companies.
ATM believes that the benefits of mining, in terms of taxes to the national and local government, employment, and other benefits in host-communities through the mining firm’s individual social development and management programs and corporate social responsibility projects, are a far cry to mining’s promised economic benefits.
“We want to articulate the voices of the mining-affected communities and even the LGUs [local government units] who are opposing mining operations,” Garganera said.
According to Garganera, the participation of ATM and other CSOs and community-based groups would ensure that evidences gathered by the communities and LGUs [local government units] are formally submitted and received by the mining-audit team.
ATM has been calling for passage of a people-centered, propoor mining measure, and the scrapping of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and Executive Order 79.